How to Draw a Forest

Co-authored by Kelly Medford

Last Updated: September 26, 2022

Drawing a forest is actually almost as easy as drawing a tree, you'll understand how following these steps. Let's begin!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

A Sketch-Style Forest

Download Article

Advertisement
Draw short lines to mark bushes in front.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Basic Forest

Download Article

Draw two curves covering the floor line and six more behind it, as you can see they always go from thin to thick, top to bottom.
To make these rows of trees look real keep in mind that the farther they are the dimmer the color on them will look, use a pallid yellow and green to make the background look gloomy.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Inhabited Forest

Download Article

If you want a grassy forest, draw some spikes that vary in size and direction.
If the tree is closer, make it larger. If it is farther away, make it smaller and behind the ones that are closer, to add perspective to your drawing.
For plants, you could add some mushrooms, bark textures, bushes and small plants. For animals, add insects, mammals, maybe even an owl or two. If you'd like to add people, you could include children collecting acorns or picking berries.
Remember that the trees behind the ones in front are in the shadows and gradually make it a darker color. Color shadows, spots that you want to be bright, and other little features.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How can I improve my perspective in drawing?

Kelly Medford
Professional Artist
Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.

Kelly Medford

Professional Artist

Expert Answer

One way is by doing blind contour drawings, where you just look at the object that you're drawing without looking at your paper—this forces your eyes to go very slowly around the object and have your hand follow your eye on paper. You can also take photographs of buildings that are in perspective and trace over them with tracing paper, which helps you understand how angles go back in space and are not flat.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 9
Question

What is razor gum? Is it just an eraser?

Community Answer

It is a special kind of eraser that can be molded to erase fine details and not large swaths of drawing.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 40 Helpful 83
Question

How do I draw a simple winning drawing?

Shahzaib Khan

Community Answer

Follow the method above and add your own tweaks and ideas. Use your imagination!

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 67 Helpful 77

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

You can even add some little rocks on the forest ground.

Thanks
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 0
Add animals or some branches, or even change the type of trees to add variety.

Thanks
Helpful 6 Not Helpful 3
Give contrast colours on tree, animals, and stones so it looks like natural and use colour pencils and oil pastel or crayon.

Thanks
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 3

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Always make sure that every tree is different, even in the slightest of ways. Try drawing their trunks and branches curved in different directions.
If you want more detailed trees, you could add different colors to one tree and gradient them.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!